Retainer for refrigerator shelf

ABSTRACT

A shelf front or guard for a refrigerator has vertically opposed longitudinally extending grooves on the inner face thereof for slidably receiving a torsion overcenter hinge spring of an article retainer assembly. The retainer assembly includes a finger-like member pivotally supported on the torsion spring for movement from a downwardly extending retracted slidable position to a fixed horizontally extending position to prevent tall containers from tipping over when the door is closed.

0 United States Patent 1 191 Bernard 1 1 July 8, 1975 [54] RETAINER FOR REFRIGERATOR SHELF 3,243,048 3/1966 Lang .1 211/74 [75] Inventor: James A. Bernard, Dayton, Ohio Primary Examiner paul R- Gilliam [73] Assignee: General Motors Corporation, Assistant ExaminerAlex Grosz Detroit, Mich. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Edward P. Barthel d: 24 1 74 [22] File Oct 9 ABSTRACT [21] Appl' sl7455 A shelf front or guard for a refrigerator has vertically opposed longitudinally extending grooves on the inner [52] US. Cl 312/138 A; 21 1/74; 211/134 face thereof for slidably receiving a torsion overcenter [51] Int. Cl. A47D 73/00; A47F 5/13 hinge spring of an article retainer assembly. The re- [58] Field of Search 312/138 A; 211/74, 134; tainer assembly includes a finger-like member pivot- 243/31 1 ally supported on the torsion spring for movement from a downwardly extending retracted slidable posi- [56] References Cited tion to a fixed horizontally extending position to pre- UNITED STATES PATENTS vent tall containers from tipping over when the door is 2,339,347 6/1958 Strub 312/138 A Closed 3,220,558 11/1965 Olsson 211/74 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 1 RETAINER FOR REFRIGERATOR SHELF The present invention relates to a refrigerator compartment shelf and guard assembly and more particularly to a door shelf construction incorporating a slidable and retractable retainer assembly adapted to be mounted on the shelf guard rail.

The storage of different sized food containers on shelves within a recess provided in a refrigerator door includes front guards or rails to prevent containers from sliding off the shelves when the door is closed. It is not possible to have the front guard as high above the shelf as necessary to prevent tall containers such as pop bottles, ketchup bottles, etc. from falling sideways on the shelf when the door is closed whereby it is possible for them to impact on other containers, the plastic shelves or the guard rails resulting in breakage or cracking of the same.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved shelf and guard rail mounting structure for a refrigerator door shelf with the guard rail having a slidably adjustable finger retainer movable horizontally along the rail to engage a tall or oversized container and maintain it in its upright position upon closing of the refrigerator door.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved shelf and guard rail assembly for a refrigerator door shelf having a horizontally adjustable retainer for contacting and holding a tall container in an upright position adjacent one end of the shelf structure or another container on a refrigerator door, wherein the retainer is pivotally supported by an overcenter torsion hinge spring such that when the finger is in its downward retracted position the torsion spring slides within longitudinally extending grooves on the inner face of the guard rail, and upon upwardly pivoting the retainer to a horizontal position the spring biases the retainer into engagement with the shelf guard preventing the retainer from being moved horizontally.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

ln the Drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view ofa portion of a refrigerator with its lower door open showing shelf fronts on the inside of the door;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of one shelf of the door illustrating the retainer in its extended position contacting a tall container;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical view partly in section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 3',

FIG. 5 is a horizontal view partly in section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIG. I of the drawing, there is shown a portion of a refrigerator cabinet having an upper freezer door 22 shown in the closed position and a lower fresh food compartment door 24 shown in the open position. The lower door 24 includes an inner door pan or liner 26 molded of suitable sheet plastic which is formed to provide a bottom shelf 28, a second shelf 30, and upper compartments 32 and 33 for storage of butter and the like. Between the shelves 28 and 30 there is provided a recess 38 having protruding side walls 42 and 44 along the sides of the recesses.

As seen in FIG. 2, above the first shelf 28 there is provided an ornamental metal shelf front or guard 50, preferably made of aluminum, extending substantially straight across the recess 38 above the shelf 28. The ends of the guard 50 are received in right-angled retainer members 54 adapted to have one leg (not shown) telescope in the ends of the guard 50 and their other leg received in an aperture in the side wall 44 to retain the guard in its secured position spaced above the shelf 28.

As best seen in FIG. 3, the shelf front or guard 50 has a generally I-beam cross-section provided with a horizontal top flange 56, a bottom flange 57 integral with an intermediate vertical web portion 60. The top flange 56 has a downwardly extending return flange 58 and the bottom flange has an upwardly extending return flange 59 to provide vertically opposed longitudinally extending upper and lower grooves 62 and 63 respectively, adjacent the inner face of the web 60 for the reception of a retainer assembly generally indicated at 70.

With reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the retainer assembly is shown including a finger-like retainer member 72 supported on the inner face of shelf guard 50 by an integral hinge and torsion wire clip spring 74. The hinge spring member 74 comprises a resilient wire having a generally U-shaped configuration to constitute a pair of spaced parallel legs 76 and 77 interconnected by bight or cross bar portion 78 that extends transversely of legs 76 and 77. The bight portion 78 includes inwardly directed opposed V-shaped portions 82 and 83 extending rearwardly out of the plane of the legs 76, 77 to the inwardly biased position of the cross bar 78 substantially in the plane of the return flanges 58 and 59.

The hinge legs 76 and 77 each terminate in generally hairpin or looped portions 86 and 87 slidably disposed in the top groove 62 and with the extremities of the hairpin portions bent inwardly in opposed fashion to provide pintle portions 88 and 89 received within bores at each side face of the finger retainer boss portion 90. The lower extremities of legs 76, 77 are bent inwardly to provide knee portions 92 and 93 which are slidably received in the bottom groove 63 in a spring biased manner and are dimensioned to insure a pressure fit of the hinge spring within the guard rail top and bottom grooves.

The cross bar portion of the hinge spring 74 is received in a transverse groove 94 formed on the under surface 95 of the retainer finger 72 while a transverse intermediate notch 96 is located to receive the guard lower flange 57 and return flange 59 when the retainer finger is rotated downwardly to its retracted phantom lined position shown in FIGS. 3.

In utilizing the retainer a tall container such as bottle 98 is first placed on the shelf 28 behind guard 50 at one end portion thereof juxtaposed to a side wall, such as well 44 in FIG. 2, which serves as one side support for the bottle. The retracted retainer assembly 70 is then pushed sidewardly in its opposed grooves 62, 63 toward the left until it is adjacent the bottle 98 whereupon the retainer finger 72 is pivoted upwardly through an arc of about This allows the cross bar 78 to move or snap to its first overcenter position outward from the inner face of the guard rail, as shown in FIG.

3 as substantially in the plane of return flanges 58 and 59, causing the upper surface 102 of the retainer to contact the lower edge 104 of return flange 58 thereby preventing unwanted movement of the retainer assembly, It will be seen that the retainer inwardly canted edge 106 allows the retainer finger 72 to engage and retain various diameter bottles either alone or in conjunction with the normal edge portion 108 of the extended finger portion 110 of the retainer. The retainer, of course, could be used to hold bottles upright adja cent the opposite wall 42 or against intermediate containers on the shelf 28.

It will be noted that upon the finger member being pivoted to its retracted position, shown in phantom in FIG. 3, the cross bar or bight 78 is snapped to a second overcenter position adjacent the inner face of guard rail web 60. In this position the U-shaped hinge and wire spring 74 is freely slidable in the opposed upper and lower grooves 62 and 63 allowing the retainer finger to be easily positioned by the housewife to any desired location along the guard rail.

While the embodiment of the present invention constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

1 claim:

1. In a refrigerator door of the type having a recess therein for the storage of foodstuffs, a shelf construction comprising a horizontal surface for supporting objects, a shelf guard extending across the recess above the shelf surface; said shelf guard having vertically opposed longitudinally extending upper and lower grooves on the inner surface thereof facing said recess, a retainer assembly mounted on said guard, said assembly including a finger member and an integral wire hinge and torsion spring having a generally inverted U- shaped configuration, said spring having its lower portion disposed in said bottom groove and its upper portion disposed in said upper groove, said spring including a cross bar resiliently biased to a first overcenter position outward from the inner face of said guard, the upper portion of said U-shaped spring bent inwardly to provide axially aligned opposed pintles, said finger member having aligned bores in one end receiving respective pintles so as to rotatably support said finger member for substantially right-angled pivotal movement about a horizontal axis from a downwardly extending vertical retracted position to a horizontal position extending normally from the rear face of said shelf guard, said finger member having a transverse groove formed in the under surface thereof receiving said cross bar, whereby said U-shaped retainer assembly being slidably movable in said grooves when said retainer is in its retracted position snapping said cross bar to a second overcenter position adjacent the guard inner face,

and whereupon said finger member being rotated to its horizontal position said cross bar is snapped to its first overcenter position biasing said finger member into contact with said upper return flange such that said finger member is retained in its horizontally extending position adjacent a tall container to prevent same from tipping over when the door is closed.

2. In a refrigerator door of the type having a recess therein for the storage of foodstuffs, a shelf construction comprising a horizontal surface for supporting objects, a shelf guard extending across the recess above the shelf surface; said shelf guard having a generally I- beam cross-section provided with horizontal top and bottom flanges integral with a vertical web, said top flange having a downwardly extending return flange and said bottom flange having an upward extending return flange to provide vertically opposed longitudinally extending upper and lower grooves along the inner face of the vertical web, wherein the improvement comprising a retainer assembly including a finger member and an integral wire hinge and torsion spring having a generally U shaped configuration providing a pair of vertically extending spaced parallel legs, with the lower extremity of each such leg having a curved knee portion disposed in said bottom groove, said knee portions having their other ends terminating in a pair of opposed V- shaped portions having respective upper ends, interconnected by a cross bar resiliently biased to a first overcenter position substantially in the plane of said return flanges, the respective upper ends of said legs terminating in respective U-shaped hairpin portions disposed in said top groove, the extremities of the hairpin portions bent inwardly to provide axially aligned opposed pintles, said finger member having aligned bores in one end receiving respective pintles so as to rotatably support said finger member for substantially rightangled pivotal movement about a horizontal axis from a downward vertical retracted position to a horizontal position extending normally from the rear face of said shelf guard, said finger member having a transverse groove formed in the under surface thereof receiving said cross bar, whereby said retainer assembly may be slidably moved in said grooves when said retainer is in its retracted position snapping said cross bar to a second overcenter position adjacent the guard inner face, and whereupon said finger being rotated to its horizontal position said cross bar is snapped to its first overcenter position with said retainer member in a horizontally extending position adjacent a tall container to prevent same from tipping over when the door is closed. 

1. In a refrigerator door of the type having a recess therein for the storage of foodstuffs, a shelf construction comprising a horizontal surface for supporting objects, a shelf guard extending across the recess above the shelf surface; said shelf guard having vertically opposed longitudinally extending upper and lower grooves on the inner surface thereof facing said recess, a retainer assembly mounted on said guard, said assembly including a finger member and an integral wire hinge and torsion spring having a generally inverted U-shaped configuration, said spring having its lower portion disposed in said bottom groove and its upper portion disposed in said upper groove, said spring including a cross bar resiliently biased to a first overcenter position outward from the inner face of said guard, the upper portion of said U-shaped spring bent inwardly to provide axially aligned opposed pintles, said finger member having aligned bores in one end receiving respective pintles so as to rotatably support said finger member for substantially right-angled pivotal movement about a horizontal axis from a downwardly extending vertical retracted position to a horizontal position extending normally from the rear face of said shelf guard, said finger member having a transverse groove formed in the under surface thereof receiving said cross bar, whereby said U-shaped retainer assembly being slidably movable in said grooves when said retainer is in its retracted position snapping said cross bar to a second overcenter position adjacent the guard inner face, and whereupon said finger member being rotated to its horizontal position said cross bar is snapped to its first overcenter position biasing said finger member into contact with said upper return flange such that said finger member is retained in its horizontally extending position adjacent a tall container to prevent same from tipping over when the door is closed.
 2. In a refrigerator door of the type having a recess therein for the storage of foodstuffs, a shelf construction comprising a horizontal surface for supporting objects, a shelf guard extending across the recess above the shelf surface; said shelf guard having a generally I-beam cross-section provided with horizontal top and bottom flanges integral with a vertical web, said top flange having a downwardly extending return flange and said bottom flange having an upward extending return flange to provide vertically opposed longitudinally extending upper and lower grooves along the inner face of the vertical web, wherein the improvement comprising a retainer assembly including a finger member and an integral wire hinge and torsion spring having a generally U-shaped configuration providing a pair of vertically extending spaced parallel legs, with the lower extremity of each such leg having a curved knee portion disposed in said bottom groove, said knee portions having their other ends terminating in a pair of opposed V-shaped portions having respective upper ends, interconnected by a cross bar resiliently biased to a first overcenter position substantially in the plane of said return fLanges, the respective upper ends of said legs terminating in respective U-shaped hairpin portions disposed in said top groove, the extremities of the hairpin portions bent inwardly to provide axially aligned opposed pintles, said finger member having aligned bores in one end receiving respective pintles so as to rotatably support said finger member for substantially right-angled pivotal movement about a horizontal axis from a downward vertical retracted position to a horizontal position extending normally from the rear face of said shelf guard, said finger member having a transverse groove formed in the under surface thereof receiving said cross bar, whereby said retainer assembly may be slidably moved in said grooves when said retainer is in its retracted position snapping said cross bar to a second overcenter position adjacent the guard inner face, and whereupon said finger being rotated to its horizontal position said cross bar is snapped to its first overcenter position with said retainer member in a horizontally extending position adjacent a tall container to prevent same from tipping over when the door is closed. 